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ISLAND DWELLINGS AT 60° NORTH: NEW EVIDENCE FOR CRANNOGS IN IRON AGE SHETLAND
Author(s) -
Stratigos Michael J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/ojoa.12225
Subject(s) - shetland , chronology , archaeology , geography , settlement (finance) , parallels , history , engineering , world wide web , computer science , forestry , payment , mechanical engineering
Summary Re‐evaluation of recorded sites and new field survey have identified 30 island dwellings in Shetland which are argued to be part of the wider Scottish Iron Age crannog building tradition. Four were subject to field survey above and below water and found to be at least partly artificial. The morphology, distribution and chronology of Shetland’s artificial islands are discussed and compared to the rest of Scotland emphasizing their parallels. The results support the recent move towards considering islet duns and brochs as crannogs. These newly identified sites in Shetland underline the ubiquity of the crannog building tradition in Scotland. Through discussion of the morphology, distribution and chronology of crannogs in Shetland and the rest of Scotland, it is argued that artificial island dwelling is a widely shared cultural practice and an underlying principle of Scottish Iron Age settlement .